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Evangelical Community Hospital receives grant for EMT training

Emergency medical technicians are in high demand across the country.

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Emergency medical technicians have a difficult and often thankless job. Many healthcare systems, including Evangelical Community Hospital near Lewisburg, are in need of EMTs.

"There's been a general migration away from health care. People don't want to work in health care, especially after multiple years of a pandemic. We're feeling that crunch just like many EMS agencies are locally and across the nation," said Jonathan Bastian, Evangelical's chief of regional mobile medical services.

Bastian says the hospital was recently awarded a $20,000 grant to establish an EMT training program.

"Passionate and interested in what EMS is and wants to pursue that as a career, but doesn't have the financial means to do it or doesn't have the ability to take time off of work or not work for a period of time and get that training," Bastian said.

Participants undergo an eight-week course at the hospital's new EMT training facility near Selinsgrove.

"We structured it, so it's four days a week in class, lecture, and hands-on simulation style. The fifth day of the week is in the field," Bastian said.

Participants are guaranteed a job when they finish the program. Bastian says the goal is to eventually hold these trainings twice a year.

For more information on the program, click here.

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